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Mar 64 min read

Barishal 350 MW (BEPCL) Coal Power Plant (Phase 1)

Current Status: Construction

(Source: EQMSa)


Barisal 350 MW Coal Power Plant, also known as Barishal Coal Power Station (Phase I), is an Ultra-supercritical (USC) thermal power plant situated at Khottar Char of Ankujan Para in Nishanbaria Union under Taltoli Upazila in Barguna District of Bangladesh (Location: 21.9647, 90.0714). It is sponsored by Barisal Electrical Power Company Limited (BEPCL), a Joint Venture Company (JVC) of Sinohydro (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited (SHKH) and ISO Tech Electrification Company Limited (ITECL), as a private Independent Power Producer (IPP) for 25 years. As per the latest schedule, the power plant started commercial operation on 01 January 2023 (Power China, 2023) and will retire on 10 January 2048.


Capacity

The power plant's installed (gross) and derated (net) capacity is 350 MW and 307 MW, respectively.


Context

A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) allowed Iso Tech Group to enter into a Joint Venture Consortium with Power China Resources & Taylor Power Environmental Company in July 2017 with the goal of building, owning, and operating a 350 MW gross (307 MW net) supercritical coal-fired Independent Power Plant (IPP) and related infrastructure in Barisal District, Bangladesh. 


PDB and a private enterprise inked a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the establishment of a 307-MW power plant at Tengragiri (FE, 2018). PowerChina and ISO Tech agreed to provide technical consulting and preliminary design services for the construction of two 350-MW units at the site in August 2018 (CD, 2018). Meanwhile, On January 11, 2019, a contract signing ceremony for auxiliary equipment for Bangladesh's 350 MW Barisal coal-fired power plant project was held in Beijing. The parties to the agreement want to make the project a top-tier undertaking that will be China's first venture into Bangladesh (PNN, 2019). The construction work of the power plant started from November 2019 and after around 45 months later the power plant was ready for production. However, it started its test run from January 2023 while the expected commercial operation dare (COD) was 12 January 2022 (Power China, 2023).


Land Acquisition

The project covers a total of 300-acre site at Angujan village of Taltali upazila in Barguna (Energy Bangla, 2023). 


Finance

The sponsors of the project were ITECL, SHKHL, and BEDICL, with a budget of USD  $557.89 million. BEDICL invested $149.04 million, while ITECL and SHKHL invested $6.48 million each, holding 92%, 4%, and 4% share of the project (Power China (a)).  70% of the project's funding was provided by an unidentified foreign loan totaling $378.00 million. The Export-Import Bank of China and the Bank of China formed a syndicate that provided the first US dollar loan to Barishal Power Generation Co., Ltd (Power.IN-EN, 2021). In order to emphasize the value of a strong energy infrastructure, the government of Bangladesh contributes $17.89 million for the transmission line.


Sponsors

The power plant was sponsored by Barisal Electrical Power Company Limited (BEPCL), a Joint Venture Company (JVC) of Sinohydro (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited (SHKH) and ISO Tech Electrification Company Limited (ITECL), as a private Independent Power Producer (IPP) for 25 years.


Contractors

Shanghai Electric Power Construction Company Limited (SEPC) is the EPC Contractor for this ambitious project, with Harbin Electric International Company Limited (HEIC) and Dongfang Electric International Company Limited (DEICL) serving as Supply Contractors. Moreover, Ever Honest International Logistics Limited (EHIL) is responsible for civil engineering, while Conveyor Group is a subcontractor with specialized skills. 


Fuel Supply

The power station will import coal from other countries, specifically Australia, South Africa, and Indonesia. Up to the transshipment location in the Bay of Bengal, it will be delivered by the mother vessel. Smaller barges will be used to move coal from the transit site to the project jetty by following the prescribed path through the Bay of Bengal and the Buriswar-Payra River (EQMS 2023). 


Power Generation

According to the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed on 12 April 2018, the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the power plant was scheduled as 12 January 2022. But the schedule has been delayed to 12 December 2022 (BPDB 2022). Barisal Electricity Company Limited and BPDB have signed a 25-year power purchase agreement for the establishment of the Barguna power plant (Jahangir, S., 2018).


Environment

Chairman of National River Conservation Commission (NRC) ordered eviction of Barisal Electricity Company Limited in Taltoli, Barguna, for constructing on Payra river land and warned of legal action in September 2020 (Kamol, E., 2020). Additionally, in July 2021, Stephan Doempke, President of World Heritage Watch further criticized the GOB for constructing Barisal Coal Power Plant, Payra Coal Power Plant, and Rampal Coal Power Plant which will seriously harm the Sundarbans mangrove forest (FE 2021).


Carbon Emission

Carbon emission from Coal based power plant is 0.93964 kg/kWh.


Criticism

The Forest Preservation Act of 1997 mandates that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) be carried out prior to the construction of a power plant of this type. However, in this instance, PDB signed the contract without carrying out the required tasks, which is obviously against the law. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called for the immediate stoppage of a coal-based power plant in Barguna's Nishanbaria union, citing land acquisition, torture, and harassment of locals, as well as police halting the project (DS, 2019).


Reference


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